Much has changed

since the last time I posted!

I am 18 years old and a high school graduate.
I am a young adult with short hair and a nice little tan.
I have read over a hundred cards from people who have influenced my life, smiled at the words within those envelopes, and written out just as many cards in a futile attempt to show my gratitude.
I have travelled on a plane for the first times in my young life, and have swum in the ocean in the hazy light of morning.
I have climbed a dusty mountain and spent countless hours lying on random beaches, marvelling at the scratchy feeling of the sand on my skin and the intensity of the sun.
I have finished a four course meal (for the bargain price of $10) using just chopsticks, and have enjoyed fresh pineapple, sticky white rice and tofu every day for the past week.
I have floated weightlessly in gentle waves and choked on salt from the not-so-gentle waves.
I have wandered freely down a crowded street late at night without a care in the world, and have embraced a culture unlike anything I've witnessed before.
I have (accidentally) touched a purse worth more money than I have in my bank account only to be chided by a sales clerk in one of the world's most prestigious stores (who knew there was a counter there? At least the people at Louis Vuitton are trained to be patient with people like myself...)
I have stood beside what has become my second family on a pier late at night, laughing at old memories, unconsciously making an unforgettable new one, enjoying the spray of the tide and catching my breath at the sight of a shooting star, beaconing like a prayer.
I have taken a shoe that holds four years of memories and thrown it into the ocean forever.
I have cried at a crimson sunset symbolic of my life.
I have said goodbye to the only world I've ever known.

But most importantly...
I have witnessed the birth of two rainbows in the skies of my life. The first came after fierce rains on my graduation day, while I stood laughing with all the people I love, skipping and splashing around my driveway. I watched it come to life and I sighed contentedly as it faded away. And the week passed on.
The second came on my final day in Hawaii with two of my closest friends after an early morning rain. We stood in the ocean with our faces to the sky, letting the tiny drops envelope us. I again watched the rainbow come to life in the sky over the ocean, and it shone with an intensity I had never seen before. In that moment, I smiled with a deeper appreciation for His grace than I have ever truly felt.

In spite of the sunsets and late night goodbyes... the mornings continue to bring beautiful signs of hope and new beginnings.

Much has changed since the last time I posted, or perhaps nothing at all has. I have travelled farther than ever before and have seen great beauty. But those new places haven't changed me, nor has my haircut or graduation or my new "adult" status. I think these experiences have simply allowed me to open my mind to a greater appreciation for all that I've already known within my life.

Tomorrow I leave for my college orientation. Clearly a lot more is still about to change.

But I'm willing to open my mind to what's to come.

And Lord... I'm so thankful.

God bless you all.